


Most Ardently

by siriuslydraco



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, pride and prejudice au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-12 17:52:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18451610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuslydraco/pseuds/siriuslydraco
Summary: it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy this story

The rolling hills of Hertfordshire had been Sansa Starks companion for most of the morning, and although her feet were beginning to feel stiff in her boots she continued on. Her goal was to reach the lake and settle down, perhaps until noon, and read the hard backed tome she held in her hand. She was often teased for the fondness she held of the knowledge one could obtain from good literature, but she stubbornly refused to listen. Reading, to her, was a great solitary enjoyment. 

She wasn't half a mile from the lake when the thunderous sound of various carriage wheels rumbled through the countryside. She tucked her skirts in her hands and made herself scarce behind a tree- not wanting to get in the way of whatever party was making its way down the road. The sound got closer, and from behind the oak she could see almost ten small carriages and one large one that was making haste down the country path- a small layer of dust in their wake. As they got closer she could make out that there was a large number of luggage that the carriages were carrying, and Sansa guessed that they were heading to the only manor house along this stretch of road. 

Kingswood Manor sat proudly in all its finery at the end of the Hertfordshire lake, and hadn't been let in over a year. Sansa wondered what kind of family were to be staying there this summer, for the last were rather bland and had not held one ball during the entirety of their stay. The large carriage approached and from where she stood half hidden behind the tree she spied two gentlemen inside, one rather large and jovial and the other dark and brooding. He was rather handsome, Sansa assumed, if one could call a sulking gentlemen handsome. His eyes met hers as they passed, and she immediately dropped her head in greeting, curtsying ever so slightly. 

The carriage rode on, and with its absence the dust rose higher. 

* * *

"Oh Sansa! We have been looking for you for ages! Come, come, we have news!" 

Her mother often took up the habit of eating lunch and drinking tea under the ivory pavilion that sat proudly in the back garden, and it was where Sansa found her as she arrived back home. She was rather tired from her walk and was grateful to sit down and remove her bonnet- her eyes wandering to the delicious plate of lemon cakes that sat on the table. Her sister, who was younger and more wild than Sansa sat beside her with a rather awful looking piece of sewing work in her hands. Needle work had never been Arya's strong suit. 

"What mama means to say, dear sister, is that _she_ has news. I do not care for such announcements" Arya's voice was drawl but as Sansa looked at her she could see her mouth was half in a smile. Their mother sighed exasperatedly and turned her eyes towards Sansa. There was an excitement within the blue that was evident, and Sansa was almost certain that the mystery that the party of carriages had brought to her mind was about to be explained. 

"I have heard that Kingswood Manor has been let! And by a gentleman no less!" 

Mrs Stark was a stern woman at the best of times, someone who exuded the very embodiment of noble birth and had the gracious manners of a woman trained since infancy. She always held her cool in situations and had a talent for appearing almost as regal as a member of the royal family, although Sansa knew her family was nothing of the sort. Her mother did not usually get excited about the lesser type of news that other ladies would gossip over, but whenever a gentleman of considerable fortune was brought up she could not help but become exuberant. 

It was well known that her mother desired to marry her only two daughters off to men of wealth and prestige. She wanted them to be better off than she was now. 

Winterfell House was grand and large, and had gardens that were almost as beautiful as Kingswood Manor itself. But the hedges were overgrown and the paths were untidy, and inside the house the wallpaper was fading and the rooms were draughty during winter. It was not as grand as it once was, but Sansa had not been born at all during the times that it had been. None of the Stark children had. Sansa's father had tried his hardest to maintain the estate but it had become too expensive when money had dwindled, and although born a gentlemen he was now forced to admit he was a rather poor one. 

"A very rich gentleman and a single one, I would wager, or else you wouldn't be bringing him up at all mama" Sansa commented stiffly, her fingers playing with the lace tablecloth. She hadn't had the very best fortune with young men, and did not wish to engage ever again with their sort. 

"Why yes of course, Sansa. I have not yet heard much about him, but from what I have heard his name is Mr Tarly and that he comes from a family of considerable fortune that hail from somewhere near Derbyshire, and he is to inherit his fathers estate since his brother has died. I hear he's also brought along with him a friend, but I can not know at present if this gentleman is single like our new friend Mr Tarly" her mother finished, smoothing down the salmon fabric of her dress. Sansa tittered a little, along with Arya, as she eyed her mother with humour. 

"My word mama, that is a considerable amount of information for someone who has not yet heard much about him" Sansa told her "I take it that you have been conversing with our dear Aunt Lysa who seems to know everything about everyone"

"You mean Aunt Lysa knows everything about everyone only because Uncle Petyr learns it first" Arya said, and Sansa nodded in agreement. It was a rare thing for the two sisters to agree on anything, but on this matter it was not to be argued. Their Aunts husband was not the most tolerable of gentlemen- on that matter Sansa and Arya were agreed wholeheartedly.

"I love you dearly, my girls. I do" their mother told them, blue eyes glinting in the afternoon sun "I wish I could keep you around forever, but you must find suitable husbands. You can not blame a mother for becoming excited at the news of a gentleman's arrival when both her daughters remain unmarried" 

Once Sansa had been utterly convinced she would be married by her twenties, with a brood of well mannered children at her heels and a doting husband who adored her. She'd live in a fine house and manage servants and attend balls and walk arm in arm with her husband through the magnificent gardens of their estate. It had been all that she had fantasised since she was old enough to understand the concept, and each time she had been introduced to a well suited gentleman she couldn't help but imagine that they very well could be her future companion. 

But last summer had seen her hopes dashed and her pride wounded forever more when she had been slighted by a man she had presumed to be hers. 

"I know you feel disheartened by the notion, my dear Sansa" it was like her mother could read her thoughts, and Sansa shuffled ever so slightly from where she sat "but you must not despair forever, what happened last summer happens to a great many young ladies. You can not let it wound you" 

"And you think this Mr Tarly character can help unwound me? Him or his considerable wealth?" Sansa pressed with a raise of her brow, but her mother just looked back at her with a mischievous look on her face. 

"If he is the gentleman I predict him to be then he will be most agreeable, and if my opinions prove wrong, then I am sure his considerable wealth will do just fine" 

* * *

Town was bustling as always, and Sansa delighted in its busyness as she walked through the dusty streets of the country village. She had a bonnet on over her red hair and used its peak as a means to block out her face from passers by. She liked her own company far too much to be interrupted by idle conversation. But her efforts were in vain however, when she heard the shout of her name from across the street. 

"Sansa! Oh Sansa!" 

She looked up from under her bonnet and had to allow herself to smile, genuinely, at the sight of her friends. Jeyne and Gilly ran hand in hand toward her, each with a string of new ribbon in their clutches and beaming grins on their faces. The girls had been friends since infancy, and had become as close as sisters. Both girls were from respected families in their area, but neither were as well standing as Sansa was, and even she was not so wealthy.  

"My dear friends! I did not think to see you in town" Sansa told them, letting each of her arms to be linked by her friends "I'm bringing a letter to the post office for my mother" 

"We were just on our way to see you" Jeyne said with a titter, a hidden excitement in her voice as she waved her handful of ribbon in the air "to tell you the news" 

"What news?" Sansa asked quizzically. 

"There's to be a ball! At Kingswood Manor!" Gilly announced exuberantly and both her and Jeyne entered into a fit of giggles from which they did not recover for a minute or so. Both girls still held the romantic notions Sansa had lost last summer, and she found she could not share in their excitement at the thought. 

"How very pleasant" she lied with a smile, one her friends did not see falseness in. They continued walking and both Jeyne and Gilly let themselves fall completely in love with the notion of this ball. At one stage Sansa would have talked of nothing else, for the town had not had a private ball in quite some time. The public ones held in the town hall could scarcely count as a noble gathering. She let them ramble on for minutes upon minutes about dances and dresses, and left them outside the post office to continue their conversation. They were still nattering animatedly when she returned to them.

"Have you seen how handsome Mr Snow is?" 

Sansa caught on to Jeyne's words as she was brought back into the conversation. Gilly was now revaluating her newly purchased ribbons with narrowed eyes, and Sansa guessed she was planning her attire for the ball already despite the fact it was not until Saturday week.

"I have only had the pleasure of looking upon him once, and I would not count my opinion of his look as good judgement as I could not see him clearly" Sansa remarked as they took up walking again, remembering then the handsome young man she had spied from the carriage. He had seemed all dark hair and brooding eyes, and did not look as if he desired to be in the countryside "I have however met dear Mr Tarly, who called upon my father yesterday morning to introduce himself"

She remembered then the quiet and charming man who had stood at the door, stammering away in eloquent speech to her father who wanted to be doing anything other than greeting a new neighbour. He was a polite young gentleman who seemed almost _too_ gentle to be the heir to a household, but Sansa secretly rejoiced in the fact that for once there was a noble man around with a kind heart. 

"Oh yes he was very charming, he called upon my father also. But I daresay I have not seen a more handsome man than Mr Snow in quite some time. I saw him out riding just this morning, he was such a sight in his riding coat and hat!" Jeyne giggled at the end, but from beside Sansa, Gilly rolled her eyes. 

"Oh come now, Jeyne! We know you could never find a man more handsome than Robb Stark!" 

At that Sansa had to laugh but Jeyne just blushed a brilliant scarlet. It was no secret that her friend had loved her brother since childhood, and Sansa found it endearing how she still held the hope of marrying him close to her heart. If only her dear friend knew of how much her older brother stared at her whenever she visited Winterfell House. Each time Sansa told her of this spectacle her brother so fondly took part in, she would be hushed by some sort of comment on how she must be lying, or imagining things. 

"This ball will be magnificent, will it not? I have never seen the inside of Kingswood Manor" Jeyne decided to change the course of the conversation "I simply can not wait. Are you as excited as I, Sansa?" 

"Oh I am very much excited" Sansa told her friend with a smile, although she was half lying. She had no real desire to attend this ball, but it could provide an otherwise dull Saturday with just a bit of excitement. She could perhaps view the massive library at Kingswood, of that she grew excited. 

"Could you imagine if all three of us were pursued? All three of us, courting at once, wouldn't it be magnificent?" Gilly wildly exclaimed "I daresay we might meet our future husbands at this ball"

_I daresay I will not,_ Sansa thought.  

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Mama, where is Arya?" Sansa called through the house. She was beginning to get exasperated now as her search attempts to find her sister had been in vain. 

"Check the stables!" called her mother from the drawing room, and Sansa spun around in the opposite direction to head out the back door. The pigs were loose again and one trotted by her as she stepped outside into the muddy backyard- the hem of her dress now being coated in the sticky muck. Arya was more comfortable with having a gown ruined but Sansa liked things to be _clean_ \- at least this dress was an old one. 

"Arya!" she called out yet the only response was the neighing of the horses in the stables and not her sisters voice. She walked along the length of the stables, peering in each one to make sure her sister was not hiding in some corner, boots covered in mud and hair wild after a long ride. But each horse was unsaddled and Arya was not in any of them. 

She was about to turn back around and check the gardens when she heard her sisters giggle- followed by another. The sounds of sheer happiness were coming from the blacksmiths shed and Sansa narrowed her eyes ever so slightly before making her way towards it. It always smelled of hot steel and sweat in here, and Sansa wrinkled her nose as soon as she stepped in- the heavy aroma of hard labour hitting her at once. It was hot in here and the burning forge at the top of the shed seemed like the source of the unforgiving wave of heat, but while it seemed to stifle Sansa the two people who stood in conversation looked to be oblivious to it. 

"Arya!" Sansa called out and her sister turned to look at her, her doe eyes raised with her smile. The young boy who was covered in dirt and sweat bowed his head awkwardly and blushed.

"Dear sister, what's the matter?" Arya said, tucking a strand of her long dark hair behind an ear. 

"Gendry, how do you do?" Sansa greeted the young man- always remembering her manners- before she walked towards her sister "Arya you promised me you would attend to my hair and I yours, the ball is in an hour and I have nothing done" 

Her sisters eyes of stormy grey rolled in her head- something their mother would surely scold her over if she were here- and sighed heavily. 

"Fine, let us go" Arya took her sisters arm and turned her towards the door. She did not miss how her sister looked behind her shoulder with longing at the blacksmith. Sansa felt her eyes narrow yet again as she looked down at her sister. 

"You know what father would say if he knew you spent most of your spare time with the blacksmith?" Sansa asked her. It was no secret to her that Arya had held some sort of affection for Gendry since he had arrived at Winterfell House when he was not seventeen. Her sisters blushing cheeks gave it away, but whether or not anyone else could see it remained a mystery to Sansa. 

"He's a friend, Sansa. You have your friends and I have mine" Arya defended with a shrug. 

"Yes but your friends seem to be less favourable than mine" Sansa told her with a warning in her voice, but Arya jutted her chin in the air defiantly.

"Come sister, no more talk of this. Lets get ready for this wretched spectacle" 

* * *

Kingswood Manor sat at the end of a lake- grand and golden upon a small flat hill and surrounded by the loveliest gardens and mazes. The fountain at the front of the house was boastful and elegant and the reflection of the house in the water made it glitter and shine. Sansa was in awe as she rode in the topless carriage, her eyes taking in the splendour of it all. She had not been in Kingswood Manor since she was a girl, and any family that had let it since had only been its residence for the shooting season and had not held any balls. 

There was countless amounts of carriages stopping in front of the manor house and there was a general bustle of excitement as people of righteous birth clambered down and lined up to enter the house. Sansa spotted ladies wearing gowns of blue and gold silk with feathers in there hair, and with jewels around their necks. It made her choice of a rather plain emerald green dress seem dismal. She saw a sea of red coats, and blushed at the thought that so many officers would be attending tonight.

"You know mama will try to push you towards any eligible bachelor with a considerable wallet" she heard her brother say. Robb sat across from her, looking as handsome as any officer with his neat suit and auburn hair. Sansa knew most girls in Hertfordshire swooned when he walked by, but not one of them ever approached him as he did not have as large a fortune as some. 

"I know, and that is why I will try to stay away from our mother tonight. I have no desire to meet with any gentleman" Sansa told him over the noise of the carriage, but her brother just eyed her with a pity from where he sat. Robb knew more than anyone how last summer had broken her. He had found her weeping in the gardens after it had all happened. 

Perhaps he did not wish for her to meet with any gentleman either. But her mother who had rode on with their father and younger siblings, was going to do anything in her power to shove men in her daughters direction. 

"And what about you, dear brother?" Arya spoke up from beside Sansa "are you going to be flung in the path of some young lady, or will you only have eyes for Ms Jeyne?" 

At that their brother blushed a deep scarlet but the two sisters found great amusement in their teasing, laughing as their carriage came to a stop. It was with a heavy sigh that Sansa stepped down from the carriage, her brother holding her hand as she descended, and she wished that she could be anywhere else but here. Last year she would have almost ran through the door with excitement and would have stood in a corner with a glass of sherry, giggling with Jeyne and Gilly over who was the most handsome officer. She would have delighted in conversing with other ladies, and being introduced to gentlemen. 

But all these people were secretly laughing at the embarrassment she had suffered not eleven months ago. Her cheeks stung red at the thought. 

Inside the house was as grand as the outside and Sansa found herself in awe as she stared at the many high chandeliers and paintings on the walls. It was all so polished and fine looking that Sansa could hardly believe the house had lay untouched for many months, but then again Mr Tarly had probably employed dozens of servants to clean the place. 

"Sansa!" she heard as soon as she entered the large ballroom. The floors were shiny and polished within an inch and all around the room stood finely dressed ladies and gentlemen that made Sansa think they were akin to expensive ornaments. There was a piano playing somewhere but there were too many people around to see where it sat. She let her eyes wander to her friends who were now rushing over to her. 

"Jeyne! Gilly! How splendid you both look!" Sansa commented truthfully as she clasped Jeyne's gloved hands in her own. She noticed then how Robb stood beside her, straight backed with his hands clasped behind him. Sansa did not miss how Jeyne's eyes wandered over her brothers form or how that tell tale blush coloured her face. 

"The ladies look beautiful, do they not dear brother?" Arya smirked from beside Robb, a silly sort of glee lighting up her eyes as she watched his complexion colour a deep red. Sansa held up a gloved hand to her mouth and tried not to giggle. _Oh Arya! How sly of you!_

"The ladies look most handsome this evening" Robb told the girls in his most gentlemanly manner, giving them a small bow of his head. When he looked back at them again he looked slightly braver, his chin jutted in the air and his blue eyes fixated on Miss Jeyne. She did look singular tonight, Sansa thought, in a gown of sky blue that matched the colour of her brothers most handsome feature.

"If I could be so bold, Miss Jeyne, I would wonder if you would save a dance for me?" 

At Robb's words, Jeyne beamed so brightly Sansa thought she could rival that of the chandeliers that were lighting. Her chest rose and fell unsteadily before she answered and Sansa's own chest swelled with happiness for her friend. 

"I do not see why we can not dance now, Mr Stark. Now is perhaps a better time than any" Jeyne said bravely. So it wasn't just Robb who was feeling courageous tonight, thought Sansa. Love must certainly be in the air at Kingswood Manor. She held out her hand for him, and he took it gently, leading her towards the large floor that couples danced on. 

"If they do not marry and have a brood of beautiful children, then I am sure I will give up on the notion of love altogether" Sansa spoke to her sister and Gilly as she watched how her brother and Jeyne bowed to each other on the ballroom floor before the music began. Both looked so in love with the other that it was the thing sonnets were written of. 

"Yes I'm sure they will, but we can not all be so lucky to marry for love" Gilly commented forlornly as she smoothed down her grey embroidered gown. 

"I am certain that when the times comes for me to be married it will be for love and nothing else. I will not stand to be the companion of someone I loathe" Sansa told her determinedly. She knew now what conceits and schemes some gentlemen held behind their polite proposals and she was utterly sure that she would marry someone she loved completely. Not a man who held her interests as an impertinence. 

The rest of the ball passed much as others before it had- with laughs and conversations between friends, and idle pleasantries shared between people who came to introduce themselves. That had always been Sansa's favourite part of gatherings- to become acquainted with new people- but now she held little to no interest in it. People came and went from their little circle but it always ended up as the same five people who had been in it to start- and then it was reduced to Gilly, Arya and Sansa herself whenever her brother and friend decided to return to their dancing. 

It was not until after they had returned from their fourth dance together- both with red cheeks and smiles- that Mr Tarly and his stern looking companion made their way over to them. Her father was at the front of the small party, tall and gallant looking in his suit and with the same noble expression he always had on his face. 

"Mister Tarly, may I introduce you to my son Robb, my daughters Sansa and Arya and their friends Jeyne and Gilly. I have two more sons but they are somewhere here with their mother" Eddard spoke deeply as he always did, gesturing to each of them. Sansa curtsied and bowed her head, perhaps a little more gentile than her sister and when she rose again she was aware of a very grey pair of eyes staring down at her. It was custom for gentry to be introduced formally to one another, but while Mr Tarly abandoned all sense of formality with a beaming smile, his companion rather took on the look of a stone carving. Sansa found him to be disagreeable almost instantly.

"My dear children, Jeyne, Gilly this is Mr Tarly and his friend Mr Snow" Eddard continued as he turned to the two gentlemen who's turn it was now to bow their heads. It was Sansa who spoke her pleasantries first. 

"We must thank you for inviting us, Mister Tarly. I do not think any of us here have had quite so much entertainment in so long" Sansa told him and the rather large and jovial man smiled back at her. Sansa could see a sheen of sweat starting to appear on his brow, and she guessed he was not one who was quite as accustomed to conversation. His eyes flittered between her and Gilly without speaking for a moment, his eyelashes fluttering. 

"Oh...the pleasure is all mine, Miss Stark. I am glad you and your friends have found it welcoming" Mr Tarly answered her. Sansa concluded at once that she liked him. He was a charming sort of person to be around, and she found she was instantly at ease with him. 

"I would imagine you do not have such gatherings here in the country often" it was Mr Snow's turn to speak- his voice was deep and pleasant and had some sort of lilt to it that held superiority "the culture here is not like that in Derbyshire. It's much less varied" 

"Well then it is a wonder why you came here at all, if the culture is so against your usual standards" Sansa told him, her blue eyes locking with his. She stared at him for a moment and was aware of her fathers eyes on hers. He hated it very much when she was stubborn in public, and in the back of her mind somewhere she scolded herself for even answering to him. But she did not want to be one of those simpering ladies who never corrected a mans opinion. Those days for her were long over. 

Mr Snow looked as if he was going to say some clever remark in response but was interrupted by Mr Tarly who had grown quite embarrassed by the exchange. 

"Robb, my good fellow, would you join us for a cigar and a game of cards? Mr Stark you are most welcome too" his words done the job of cutting the tension away from the group and each gentleman bowed before leaving the ladies in the corner. Once they were out of sight and Sansa's narrowed eyes could soften, her friends erupted into a fit of giggles. Jeyne found Sansa's arm and clutched it tightly. 

"My word he is so handsome! Come now Sansa, did you see how handsome Mr Snow was?" Jeyne tittered in her ear as she lead her over to where silver bowls of punch sat on the large table that was placed against the wall. 

"Oh Jeyne, you should know by now that beauty does not ensnare me as it does others. I have had more than a disagreeable past with that of handsome men and I do not wish to engage further with the sort!" Sansa remarked, although it was only a small lie. The stern and dark haired Mr Snow seemed to be the most handsome man she had probably ever seen, but his demeanour of arrogance swayed her view of his good looks. 

"Oh how can you say that! After gazing upon a face as gallant as his! I daresay he was the second most handsome man in the room" Jeyne giggled as she brought her silver cup of punch to her lips. 

"My brother being the first, I would assume?" Sansa teased her, and Jeyne nodded with a smile. There was a light in her eyes that had not been there before. Perhaps now she was beginning to realise that Robb's feelings for her were genuine after all. 

"Of course. But Mr Snow is most agreeable to look upon, is he not?" Jeyne raised an eyebrow and Sansa sighed dramatically as she poured herself a cup of the cherry red punch. 

"If I agree that he is handsome then will you relent in your frivolous investigation?" the red head laughed a little, as she linked her arm in her friends and steered her in the direction of the marble benches that sat below the grand staircase "but enough of Mr Snow, you must tell me all you and my brother talked about while you danced"

 


	3. Chapter 3

The ball was still in full swing by the time Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly made their way out of the drawing room. They had played almost three games of cards and Jon had smoked enough cigars to last him another month. The company of the gentlemen he had been swarmed in for the past hour had been most agreeable, and he found himself now becoming quite dismal in his attitude as he yet again returned to the hustle and bustle of the large ballroom. All around the house, not just in this grand room, people nattered and laughed so highly that it was giving Jon a headache. 

He hated balls. He'd always hated them since he was a boy, and had found he'd never had the desire to be introduced to ladies at them like other men seemed to be. He'd never acquired the talent for conversing with people he did not know well. Oh but if Rhaenys was here, Jon thought, she'd be twirling around and laughing jovially with all the other young ladies. Perhaps seeing his sister happy would make this spectacle a little easier. He also had the unfortunate luck to be quipped at by one of the young ladies present this evening, and as he thought of her comment his pride wounded itself further. He had not meant ill by his statement about the country, yet it had been taken as an insult. Perhaps he should apologise for coming off as harsh, but then again it was not in his nature to openly engage with a woman he did not know. 

She now stood by the window, an ivory painted fan in her gloved hand and a large smile on her face as she conversed with a red coat. She was singularly beautiful, thought Jon, with her pale complexion and red hair. She looked in his direction then and before he was able to look away, her blue eyes locked on his. He held her gaze for a moment and then she looked away from him, gathering her skirts in her hands and walking across the room- followed by the straight backed officer. He watched as she walked all the way over to their side of the room and stood at the table, allowing the gentleman in the scarlet coat to pour her a glass of punch. 

"I have never seen so many handsome women in one place" Sam said from beside him. He had a beam on his face and a twinkle in his eye as he gazed around his room-eyeing each young lady who was parading around in lace and silks. Some of them wore rather ridiculous feathers and baubles in their hairs, but Jon was not at liberty to comment on such fashions. 

"My dearest friend, you say that at each gathering we attend. I can assure you that not all women we have been acquainted with are as handsome as you imagine them to be" Jon smirked a little as he looked around. Truly there was but four beautiful women here tonight, and one of them wore a brilliant dress of emerald green with sparkling jewels in her red hair. 

"Miss Sansa was most agreeable, was she not?" Sam said softly, with a sweet sort of fondness in his tone "her beauty is insurmountable I would wager. I have not seen a girl quite as lovely as she, not in all of England" 

"Yes, Miss Stark was most handsome. Although I daresay beauty does not tempt me as much as most men" Jon remarked to his friend with a stern set to his brow. It was true that Mr Snow did not look at beauty to be the utmost quality in a partner. A lady of his interest must be accomplished in all manner of education and music. Someone who was intelligent enough to keep up conversation with him. So far he had not met such a woman. 

"I daresay it does not. You have a solemn way of gazing at the world, Mr Snow. If you would only care to gaze at it as others do, then I would wager you would see all the fine beauty in this room" his friend told him, cheeks reddening with the effects of the sherry he was drinking. 

"I _see_ beautiful women, Sam. I am not blind. But I know that behind their handsomeness lies a vacant wit. I am sure Miss Stark holds the same sort of idleness for conversation as most beautiful young women. Most women are content to fan themselves all night and titter over a damned red coat officer" Jon bitterly remarked as he took a swig of wine from the cup he was holding "I would rather one ugly girl for a lifetime than a brainless beauty" 

"Well truly I have not seen one ugly girl this night. I found Miss Starks friends to also be quite lovely. Gilly especially caught my eye" Mr Tarly's cheeks began to redden slightly more, but Jon knew it was not the sherry that was having the effect. Jon remembered then the mousy girl that had stood with Mr Starks daughters. 

"Miss Gilly?" Jon inquired with a raise of his brow. Sam nodded to him shyly "I suppose she is plainer than her companions but lovely all the same. If you hold an interest in her I can inquire after her. Why not ask her for a dance? I am sure she will not refuse the master of this house" 

"Perhaps as the evening goes on I might muster up the sort of courage that is needed" Sam replied meekly. Jon was about to reply when his friends eyes wandered over his shoulder, and his face beamed "Miss Stark! We were just talking about how remarkable you look this evening" 

Jon felt himself stiffen as he turned around to face her, the embarrassment of earlier coursing fresh through his mind. He had insulted her, he knew, but he was too much of a coward in the moment to offer any sort of apology. She stood alone now, her scarlet coated friend had vanished, and the chandelier they stood under glinted its golden hue across her pale skin. Jon tried not to notice how the bosom of her dress was cut in a way that showed the top of her chest. He found the earrings that hung delicately in her ears to be most interesting. 

"Oh you are too kind, Mister Tarly. But you can hardly expect me to own up to the compliment when there are so many other handsome women in the room. Wouldn't you agree, Mister Snow?" she looked at him then, those eyes of blue sapphire staring up at him. It seemed like there was a fire within her that burned on the outside in the form of her scarlet hair. He felt himself tremble at the sight of her. 

"I am not a man to lie Miss Stark, so therefore I can not agree with your statement that you find each and every woman in this room to be beautiful. But I can agree with my friend. You do look most lovely" 

Her eyes softened a little as she stared at him, but they did not relent in their gaze. He felt the weight of it wholly paralyze him. He had never felt this way about a woman before, and he had not even known her three hours. Perhaps he was becoming a simpering fool who abandoned all courtesy and intellect in the presence of a beauty. Sam looked at him swiftly from where he stood beside him, and from the corner of Jon's eye he could see him smile. 

"Oh dear, I must admit I'm rather flattered Mr Snow" she told him with a smile, but there was a hidden tone of sarcasm in her voice "I do not hear such things often" 

"I'm sure you hear it all the time, and have many suitors" Sam complimented her yet again "was the gentleman who was with you one such suitor?" 

"My uncle actually" she corrected him with a shy smile "Edmure Tully, he's a Colonel with the militia. They are stationed here in Winter Town for the season. I have not seen him in quite some time but I'm sure I'll be seeing much of him now that he will be so close. I'd be delighted to introduce you later on" 

"Oh do, I've had the most welcome company with your brother and father earlier. I'm sure you're uncle will be most entertaining too!" Sam jovially replied "I do hope we can be friends while I'm here at Kingswood. It would pain me greatly to not gain any friendships during my stay" 

Both Mr Tarly and Miss Stark continued to talk for a moment about future balls that should be thrown and dinners that were to be held. But Jon could not think of anything other than the militia being stationed here. His jaw clenched and he felt his knuckles tightening as he balled his fists by his sides. The face of one such officer came to mind and he found he had to close his eyes tightly to rid himself of the hateful image. His past was rushing to meet him and he wanted nothing to do with it. He tried to focus on the music that was being played by the band and the din around the room, but he could not.

"I fear we are boring poor Mister Snow with our trivial talk, Mister Tarly" Sansa's voice made him open his eyes and when he did he was greeted by the sight of her handsome face peering at him. 

"Forgive me, Miss Stark. I feel a slight headache coming on" Jon lied and he could tell by the way she pursed her lips that she did not believe him. 

"I have kept you both far too long, and besides I have parted from my friend not a half hour ago. I must find her as I fear in a house this big she will find herself lost. If you'll excuse me" she bunched her skirts in her hands as she attempted to move around them, but Sam stopped her before she could go anywhere. 

"Oh do you have to go? It has been most lovely talking to you, won't you stay a while?" he asked her, and Jon knew deep down that he was probably hoping to inquire about her plain friend Gilly. 

"I'm afraid I can not, and I must say I'm quite surprised you've stood and talked with me this long" her eyes went straight to Jon's, and that hard ice was back in them. 

"Surprised? Of what?" Sam stuttered out with a blush. 

"That you found it within yourselves to converse with me at all, considering that you assume most women have an idleness and one fixed topic when it comes to conversation. I can assure you gentlemen, that I am indeed far from the brainless beauty you may perceive me as. Good evening" she curtsied before she left, her flowing skirts of emerald green pooling around her feet and Jon found himself stuck to the ground where he stood- unable to comprehend the turn of situation he found himself in. 

Sam moved from beside him, his mouth opening and closing quite comically. It took him a moment before he spoke. 

"Do you think she heard what you said earlier?" Sam asked him, and Jon sighed as he turned to face the direction she had gone. He saw her green dress disappear around the corner- a vision of emerald and scarlet- and felt his heart sting with yet another embarrassment. 

"Yes, my friend" he replied "I would wager she did" 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys thank you so much for the positive feedback on this story so far! I hope you're all enjoying and leave a few comments x

The air was crisp and warm as it beamed down on the two strolling sisters- both with their arms linked in one's another's and their eyes cast down to watch their feet. The sounds of birds chirping distanced and dimmed as the noise of town grew closer and Arya Stark felt tremendously excited as she linked Sansa's arm. The militia were having a parade today through the town and ever since she'd been a girl she had dreamt of the red coated soldiers. Perhaps in a different way than most young ladies had. Sansa and Jeyne had gushed over them in their early years at court because of the handsomeness of some of the young officers- but Arya wanted to be one of them. How she dreamed of having a regiment sword of her own. 

"Are you listening to me, sister?" Sansa nudged Arya in the side ever so slightly, those eyes of blue peering down at her shorter sibling. Arya had to admit to herself that she had drifted off during the conversation, but found herself grounded once again at Sansa's vexatious gesture. She had been in the middle of complaining highly of Kingswoods new resident, the very dark and handsome Mr Snow. Arya had found him to be most amiable while she had minutely conversed with him and his larger companion, Mr Tarly. He was perhaps a little stern looking and had been undeniably disinterested in the ball. But so had Arya. 

"Yes I have been. You were just telling me how Mr Snow treated you at the ball" Arya answered her, and beside her Sansa sighed at her vague response but continued anyway. 

"A most petulant man" 

"I found him to be pleasant enough. Perhaps his manner appears cold to one who does not know him, but I daresay we will have time to become friends. Robb seems to be pretty fond of him already. Mr Snow might be a guest at Winterfell soon enough" Arya smirked her trademark smirk, and those grey eyes of hers lit up "perhaps mama might try to push Mr Snow in your direction when she learns he is richer than his friend" 

"Mr Snow could own all of Derbyshire and I would not marry him. He is rude and conceited, and it is obvious he holds a blatant disregard for the female mind" Sansa said with a defiant rise of her chin "I for one would never marry a man as disagreeable as that" 

"It would seem if mama willed it then you would have no say in it" Arya told her, eyeing the outskirts of town in the distance. 

"What of you? You know you have to marry soon too? If I am to be forced to marry any man of irritable nature then I will insure that your betrothed will have warts and hairy ears" Sansa laughed a little, but Arya did not join in. 

"I will never marry a man that our parents bid me to" she said steadily, but there was something in her voice that sounded almost like a warning. As romantic as Sansa was she knew she must do her duty in time, no matter the consequences to her heart. 

"Nevertheless, dear sister, I can assure you Mr Snow would never wish to marry me no matter how much mama pushed it. For I am from the countryside and we are, in Mr Snow's words, much less varied" 

At that the two sisters giggled tremendously and continued on their way into town- the red coats getting clearer in the distance. 

* * *

 The parade had been loud and boastful- with a brass band and foot soldiers marching with their muskets on their shoulders. Arya and Sansa had beamed especially wide when their uncle Edmure had rode by the gathering crowd on a white horse. He had spotted them in the crowd and had given a very courteous nod in their direction. It had all been rather exciting to welcome the militia to Wintertown and it had given the town a surge of something that was tangible. All around them, people chatted and ladies gushed over the officers, and from where Sansa stood on the dusty road she could see that now a hundred red coats mingled with the villagers.

"My dearest nieces" Edmure said when he finally found them after abandoning his steed. Beside him walked a rather tall and gallant looking stranger. He too wore a scarlet coloured coat. 

"Uncle, how delighted we are to see you" Sansa beamed at him- after curtsying- a soft blush tinging her cheeks as she noticed the eyes of the stranger bore down on her. They were the most handsome blue. 

"The parade was wonderful, Uncle. You found the town most welcoming did you not? I for one am most intrigued that you are here, you know I have long since admired soldiers" Arya spoke with a smile. 

"I daresay not in the way most ladies admire soldiers" Edmure's voice was a laugh, one that Arya copied but Sansa stayed silent. Her uncle noticed this with a flicker of his eyes and stood up straighter as he gestured a hand gently towards the young man beside him. 

"May I introduce to you Mr Hardyng?" Edmure told his nieces, watching as the blond haired man bowed his head "he is a Lieutenant with the regiment" 

"A most charmed Lieutenant if I may speak boldly" Mr Hardyng said, his eyes yet again boring into Sansa. She couldn't help but let herself smile at him for he was a sight to behold. He was all sparkling eyes and golden hair, and he had a fine jaw and nose that seemed almost too perfect to be a reality. Yet here he stood in front of her- flesh and bone- and looking like the man she'd always dreamed of. 

She composed herself rather quickly however, remembering how she must appear in public. She could leave her gushing ways to when she saw Jeyne and Gilly again. 

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Hardyng" Sansa told him, bowing her head to him. Arya repeated her courtesy but with a little less grace. It hardly seemed to matter however since Mr Hardyng seemed to only fix his gaze upon the red head. 

"I was just about to make a leisurely stroll towards Winterfell myself. I long to see my dear sister" Uncle Edmure said, his voice the object that broke contact between Mr Hardyng and Sansa's eyes "perhaps we should all walk together?" 

The company of four began to walk back the way Arya and Sansa had come, along the narrow river, and down the green path towards Winterfell. The stony and grand house lay almost a mile from town, but now with this handsome strangers presence, Sansa didn't seem to care too much. Mr Hardyng kept close to her, but he held his hands behind his back in fear of touching her and Sansa did not miss how his eyes of steely blue jumped to her face every few minutes. Arya and her uncle walked ahead, arm in arm and probably discussing terms of warfare that Sansa would never understand. 

"I take it you are from here?" Mr Hardyng's voice joined in with the sounds of the birds chirping. 

"Indeed I am" Sansa answered him, locking her hands together as she walked "I was born here"

"Hertfordshire is a most charming county. Even more splendid with you being here" Mr Hardyng certainly had a way with words, and the eloquent charm of his voice was almost causing Sansa to sway on her feet. Never had a gentleman been so bold and daring with his speech in her presence. But the flutters in her heart seemed to give away the truth that she was not going to stop him. 

"You flatter me, sir" Sansa replied politely, trying to look to the side and hide her blush from him. 

"I am but a poor Lieutenant, but I am a man of honesty. Therefore I only ever speak my truths" he twirled around in front of her and walked backwards as he bowed, those beautiful eyes of sky blue boring into her rosy face. She giggled at his spectacle and beamed, but the grin on her face easily faltered when she saw the two approaching horses. Mr Hardyng turned around, and all politeness from his demeanour vanished. 

"Miss Sansa!" 

It was Mr Tarly, rather big and awkward looking atop a bay horse but his smile was wide and genuine. Ahead of her Arya waved at him but did not stop and he tipped his hat in response, but the other gentleman who sat on a grey dappled steed was impolite, and _glaring_ in Sansa's direction. It was Mr Snow. 

Beside her she heard the intake of breath from Mr Hardyng but she was too fixated on Mr Snow to remove her stare. His jaw set tight as he looked fixedly on the red coated Lieutenant and then before anyone else could say another word he had pulled the reins of his horse tightly and turned the horse around. There was a great gust of road dust that swirled after him, and Sansa's eyes narrowed at the sight of him riding away- his riding coat billowing at his back.

"How rude!" Sansa fumed quietly with narrowed eyes.

Tarly who still sat atop his horse opened and closed his mouth quite comically as he looked in the direction his riding partner had went. Something in his eyes flickered as he looked back in Sansa's direction and she knew he must have some inkling as to why Mr Snow had rode off so harshly. After a moment of speculation he kicked the mare softly in the stomach and aided it onwards. He looked a little uncomfortable on horseback and held on for dear life- his knuckles nearly bone white from clutching the reins so tightly. 

"Miss Stark" he tipped his hat in greeting to Sansa. He did not address Mr Hardyng with any formal greeting. This did not go unnoticed by Sansa. 

"Mr Tarly" she curtsied to him as she peered up at the horse. 

"What a chance this is! I was just at your house but you were not there" he said, his cheeks reddening "we called on your brother and spent some time at your home! A most pleasing place" 

"I was in town for the parade, Mr Tarly. My uncle is a colonel as you know, and we went to see the regiments march. I am sorry I missed your visit" Sansa answered him. She was perhaps genuinely sorry to have missed out on the lovely company of the kind hearted gentleman, but she could not say the same for Mr Snow.

"Nevertheless, I wanted to invite you to Kingswood for dinner tomorrow evening. I have already sent a footman to deliver an invitation to your friend Miss Gilly" he said with a hidden smile lighting in his eyes. Sansa remembered then how at the end of his ball he had mustered up the courage to dance with her. She had been nervous and perhaps had not smiled at him as much as she should have, but afterwards in the company of friends she had gushed about him. 

"How kind of you! I would be delighted to attend dinner" Sansa answered him, her eyes flicking to Mr Hardyng who was now standing by the rivers edge- his face turned away. 

"Splendid! I shall send a carriage for you and Miss Gilly both. Say around seven" he tipped his hat once more to her and turned the horse around rather clumsily "Now I must go in search of my friend! Good day madam!" 

She stared after him for a while without moving and tried to sort out the running thoughts in her head. The image of Mr Snow's glaring face swam in her head and the reason for it seemed unfathomable to her. Did he really dislike her that much? He had only met her once before this, yet she _had_ given him cause she supposed, to allow him to find her disagreeable. She had been stubborn and snobby with him. But then he had been dismissive and misogynistic about her. 

"I am sorry for how that seemed" Mr Hardyngs voice sounded from beside her. She had not even noticed him come up to her. She was now aware that her uncle and sister had gained quite a good bit of ground ahead of them, and suddenly she wished to keep up with them. She began to walk then and the Lieutenant walked beside her. A lady she knew must not be alone with a gentleman for too long. It was improper. Yet in the back of her mind she did not despise being alone with one so handsome. 

"Why say such a thing! It is not your fault, Mr Hardyng. Mr Snow seems to have a talent at being harsh" Sansa told him, her eyes going to his face. But those lively blue eyes of his were now sad and distant. 

"Perhaps you will not believe me, madam, given the coldness of Mr Snow's greeting but I have been acquainted with him since infancy" he told her and she gasped a little. Perhaps his glares were not for her after all. 

"Have you?"

"My father managed his estate, and was held in the highest regard by all his family. As was I" Mr Hardyng explained to her in a voice that was highly reminiscent "I was at one point in time, almost treated like a son by his father and felt as though his brother Aegon liked me better. Mr Snow was, for lack of a better word, surly since boyhood and never treated me with the kindness his family did. As I grew into a man I began to fall in love with his sister, Rhaenys, even though I did not deserve her. All was well until his brother and father died and Mr Snow was left the estate. This I believe was when he let the true coldness of his character that I had seen for years, be allowed into the world" 

"What ever happened then?" Sansa was deeply intrigued now and found her walking was faltering as she was dragged into the story. 

"His father bequeath me the rectory on his estate seeing as I had always dreamt of joining the church, but as soon as he found out he took the living from me and banished me from the estate. He also discovered my deep affections for his sister and tore us apart. I will not go into the details as it is still as fresh in my heart as the day it happened. I am a romantic, Miss Stark despite my current profession and I have a sensitive nature for such topics" 

"How cruel!" Sansa found herself fuming, but she sighed whimsically at the notion of Mr Hardyng being romantic "why would he ever do such a thing?" 

"Truthfully, I believe it was jealousy. His own family loved me better and Snow couldn't stand it. Nevertheless it is of no matter now. For I am in great company often and he is not" was the Lieutenants answer and Sansa agreed with a nod of her head. 

They continued walking in silence then towards Winterfell and Sansa felt a little less dubious of her judgement of Mr Snow. She now knew her prejudice had been correct. 


End file.
